Delhi's Saket court ramping up security after June 6 murder of undertrial
The Saket district court is ramping up its security, including the installation of integrated security equipment, at key entry points, after an undertrial was beaten to death by other inmates on June 6.
In a circular on Monday, principal district and sessions judge Shail Jain said security is being boosted in line with a Delhi high court order of November 24, 2021. Work commenced on June 13 and is expected to be completed by June 30, when summer vacation ends. Currently, two gates are closed and entry is permitted through a single point.
People aware of the development told HT besides new-generation X-ray baggage scanners and additional door-frame metal detectors, boom barriers and steel bollards were being installed at entry gates to supplement the existing infrastructure. 'Baggage scanners, with more advanced technology, are being installed at all three gates. Additional door-frame detectors are also being added. Two new security features—boom barriers and bollards to regulate traffic movement—are a first,' an official with the court's security cell said.
The Saket court complex has six entry gates—four for pedestrians, advocates, and judicial officers, and two dedicated exclusively to judges and jail vans. Current security protocols include RFID-enabled vehicle access for lawyers and routine frisking of entrants by security personnel.
The intensified security push comes after a series of attacks and murders of undertrials and accused at Delhi courts. In November 2021, the high court issued a series of directions to the judiciary and Delhi Police for a comprehensive overhaul of security protocols, after gangster Jitender Mann alias Gogi was gunned down inside the Rohini court complex by rivals who had disguised themselves as lawyers. Both attackers were gunned down, but the incident raised security concerns in Delhi courts.
The Saket court's security came under fire in April 2023, when a 40-year-old woman was shot at three times by a suspended advocate outside the lawyers' block. The incident had triggered widespread concern about the lack of robust security mechanisms in place.
On June 6, 24-year-old undertrial Aman Poddar was killed inside the court's lock-up, allegedly by inmates with whom he had a personal enmity. A preliminary inquiry by the principal sessions judge flagged major lapses, including the failure to segregate rival prisoners and an inexplicably delayed police response to the assault. The report noted that a constable posted outside the lock-up took at least 20 seconds to unlatch the door as the assault unfolded, which continued for nearly a minute. An internal probe was also launched against personnel of the Delhi Police's Third Battalion for failing to identify and separate the rival inmates, as required by the protocol.
Senior members of the Saket Bar Association acknowledged that while security upgrades have been taking place on the high court's directives, the recent lock-up killing acted as a catalyst. 'Several meetings were held between the principal sessions judge and Bar leaders to chart out a more advanced security layout,' a senior member of the association said.
The security official cited above said: 'So far, we have received only some tools, but plans are in place to install under-vehicle surveillance systems (UVSS) at the entry gates. These systems will allow us to scan the undercarriages of vehicles belonging to advocates and staff. More Delhi Police personnel will also be requisitioned to manage the enhanced system.'
Narendra Sharma, vice-president of the Saket Court Bar Association, said, 'Security tools are being procured periodically by the court administration. Security audits are also underway, and fresh measures are adopted whenever a more stringent approach is deemed necessary.'
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